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Local Residents Aim to Start Dialogue on Long Island

Posted August 10, 2010 by Justin McMahon

Since January of this year dozens of local residents have participated in the Welcoming Long Island campaign. We began by getting the word out about our community project and inviting others to join us. As a result, welcoming committees formed in Port Jefferson and Bellmore, with considerable interest in locations such as Port Washington, Huntington, Babylon, Medford, and East Hampton. (If you’re interested in starting or joining a committee visit Welcoming Long Island by clicking on Join a Committee.)

Committee member, Carlos, hangs flyers in Port Jefferson, NY.

Together we have begun the hard work of identifying issues and analyzing the climate in our communities when it comes to welcoming new members, including those who are marginalized, and recognizing the contributions of all. Our goal is to build strong communities on Long Island where all people are treated with respect and dignity. This is no small feat, but with the incredible array of talent, optimism, and energy that members have brought to the table, we are confident that we will reach that goal. Rooted in a persistent ethic of hope, we are committed to taking the baby steps necessary to construct our long journey toward a new Long Island; one that incorporates our better history of welcoming immigrants, and one that chooses unity over division.

In light of the tension that is often present in our communities around the issue of immigration and the uneasiness that fills many residents given the changing face of our neighborhoods, we hope to offer a positive and meaningful step toward unity. We understand that when underlying tension in our communities is not addressed it can easily find an outlet in hate, and often, violence. When violence occurs we all lose – victim, offender, community, Long Island. We have all heard it said in the wake of the murder of Marcelo Lucero that what we need is dialogue to begin to heal, to try to prevent this from ever happening again, and to offer an alternative to violence as a means for dealing with tension. Welcoming Long Island members hope to contribute to this process by actively creating space for dialogue.

Nancy addresses the panel at the Church of Saint Sylvester in Medford, NY.

In April, over 80 parish and community members gathered at the Church of Saint Sylvester in Medford to watch the film “Taught to Hate.” Mayor Paul Pontieri of Patchogue, director/producer James Garcia Sotomayor, co-writer/producer Richard Caban, and cast member/producer/publicist Helen Proimos formed a panel. Members of the parish group Seeds of Faith and Justice (which coordinates Welcoming Long Island in Medford) facilitated conversation afterward. The goal of the event was to use the film as a starting point to talk about where we want to go as a community, as Long Island, in the wake of real tension that led us down a path toward violence. The conversation, while solemn at the beginning, started to build momentum as participants began to imagine alternative endings to the immigration story on Long Island – life, hope, unity, and strength.

Now committee members in Port Jefferson and Bellmore are engaged in outreach to local faith based congregations, schools, and other venues where we hope to replicate the event we held in Medford last April. We’ve partnered with James Garcia Sotomayor to create a discussion guide and other materials to help spark dialogue in communities around Long Island.